The leaders of the Obidient Movement have rejected the Labour Party’s recent decision to establish an ‘Obedient Directorate’. The group said it is an attempt to usurp its grassroots-driven force.
In a statement on Sunday, June 2, 2024, the leading conveners of the Obidient Movement, representing 261 support groups, expressed their outrage and unequivocal rejection of the new directorate.
It said: “We, the leading 261 conveners of the Obidient Movement support groups, are compelled to issue this statement, rejecting Julius Abure’s brazen attempt to co-opt the Obidient Movement by creating an ‘Obedient Directorate’ within the Labour Party.
“The Obidient Movement predates Peter Obi’s entry into the Labour Party and is a global force far more potent than the Labour Party, which had not seen electoral success since Olusegun Mimiko’s 2007 governorship win in Ondo.”
The statement highlighted the movement’s contributions to the Labour Party’s recent electoral successes, including securing seven Senate seats, thirty-five House of Representatives seats, and the presidency for Peter Obi. However, the leaders accused Abure and his party of failing to protect these victories.
“The Labour Party had one job in the 2023 elections: to protect the votes and secure the victory achieved by the Obidients. On this simple task, Julius Abure and his party failed spectacularly—failing Peter Obi, failing the millions of Obidients worldwide, and failing Nigeria’s future generations.
“This ludicrous scheme, no doubt concocted within the corridors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) whose president and cronies are desperate to undermine Peter Obi’s popularity and the unstoppable force of the Obidient Movement is doomed to fail.
“We categorically reject the creation of an Obidient Directorate within the Labour Party. We explicitly reject the appointment of a charlatan like Marcel Ngogbehei to any position of authority within the movement. We call on Julius Abure to halt this destructive plot and engage in sincere dialogue with the true stakeholders of the Obidient Movement, starting with His Excellency Peter Obi.”
The Obidient Movement traces its roots back to 2019, rallying around the candidacy of Peter Obi, and gaining significant momentum in 2022 when Obi announced his presidential ambitions. The movement’s leaders stress that their alignment with the Labour Party was solely a result of Obi’s candidacy and not due to any inherent loyalty to the party itself.
